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BBC NEWS | England | Wiltshire | Christmas tree too big to put up

The lighting-up ceremony of a Christmas tree in Swindon has had to be postponed after the bigger-than-expected tree broke the base it was being mounted on.

Council officials had asked for a 40ft (12m) tree as the centrepiece for the town's "magic roundabout" but a 50ft tall (15m) tree was delivered instead.

When contractors tried to lift it on to the specially-made plinth for Monday's switch-on the base fractured.

It is believed the extra weight was to blame. The tree had to be taken away.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Sun Dec 7th, 2008 at 03:53:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Not the world-famous Swindon Magic Roundabout?

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sun Dec 7th, 2008 at 04:11:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Sadly so - cursed to remain festively treeless for at least another week by a tragedy of materials science.

Weep - weep! - for the drivers of Swindon and Wiltshire.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Sun Dec 7th, 2008 at 04:46:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That is mind warping!

You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Sun Dec 7th, 2008 at 04:58:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]
"Time for bed" said Zebedee

{only UK people of a certain generation are gonna get that.}

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sun Dec 7th, 2008 at 05:52:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I had to explain it to French friends who were LOL about the Swindon roundabout. (There are two different words in French for a traffic roundabout and a fun-fair roundabout).
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Dec 8th, 2008 at 02:25:34 AM EST
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It was a very popular French TV program originally named "Le Manège Enchanté". The French name for Zebedee was Zébulon.

"Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
by Melanchthon on Mon Dec 8th, 2008 at 05:05:44 AM EST
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Yes, but Eric thompson(UK presenter and father of Emma) only used the pictures. He created a whole other world of narrative and dialogue around those images that was, apparently, startlingly different from the original.

keep to the Fen Causeway
by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Mon Dec 8th, 2008 at 06:55:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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